Ind vs Eng, 5th Test: Rohit Sharma Ruled Out, Jasprit Bumrah To Lead India

Ind vs Eng, 5th Test: In the absence of Rohit, pacer Jasprit Bumrah is going to be the captain of the team.

India's captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot during a Test cricket match (Source: File photo/AFP)

New Delhi: In a major setback to the Indian cricket team hitman opener and captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the 5th Test against England after testing positive for COVID-19 for the second time. Team India is scheduled to play the last match of the 5-match Test series against England the next month. In the absence of Rohit, pacer Jasprit Bumrah is going to be the captain of the team. 

Rohit Sharma ruled out of 5th Test against England after testing positive for COVID-19 for second time, Jasprit Bumrah to lead

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 29, 2022

Rohit was part of the team in the 4-day practice match being played against Leicestershire. He also batted in the first innings, but he did not come to bat in the second innings.

"Rohit is out of this Test match, starting July 1, as his RT-PCR test has come positive again. He is still in isolation. Jasprit Bumrah, who is one of the vice-captains in absence of KL Rahul, will lead the team," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The source said that Mayank Agarwal has just been brought as "cover" and is not in the scheme of things as far featuring in the playing eleven is concerned.

"Mayank is here just as cover. It is likely to be Pujara-Gill combination that is going to open the batting. There is an outside chance for Hanuma Vihari to open as he has done the job in a stop-gap arrangement in Australia during the 2018 series. But chances of Pujara opening are way more," he said.

The speedster Bumrah will add another feather to his cap as he will be the second fast bowler to captain Team India after Kapil Dev. No fast bowler has led India in Tests since Kapil Dev in March 1987. Earlier this year, Bumrah was promoted as the vice-captain of the Indian team during the three-match ODI series in South Africa. Then in a press conference, Bumrah had said that if the opportunity comes, he is ready to take over the captaincy of India.

Apart from Bumrah, the names of two other players had surfaced regarding the captaincy. These include Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli. Pant recently captained Team India in the five-match T20I series against South Africa. However, the fans of Kohli wanted him to be given the captaincy for the last time in this match. The first four matches of this series were played under the Virat's captaincy.

Kohli had resigned from the Test captaincy this year after the South African tour. However, it is now clear that Bumrah will be seen captaining against England. The Indian team is currently leading 2-1 in the Test series against England. Last year, the last match of the five-match Test series was postponed and rescheduled after several cases of coronavirus were reported in the Indian team.